President Joe Biden seems to be the only one unable to “read the room” and realize that the only way to put more pressure on Vladimir Putin, and simultaneously make America stronger overnight, is to cease buying Russian oil and embrace a full-throated model of domestic oil production. A move such as this would rile up progressives like AOC and the squad since more fossil fuel production flies in the face of their goal to ban fossil fuels entirely.
Biden has a choice right now. He can choose to strengthen this country by waving off the green morons in his party, or he can continue to embolden Vladimir Putin and Iran by leaving us reliant on foreign oil production. Under former President Trump, the U.S. became a net exporter of energy for the first time in 75 years.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has come out in favor of banning Russian oil from U.S. markets entirely, but doesn’t know how to replace it:
Amid the escalating war in Ukraine, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she supports banning Russian oil imports to the U.S., a hefty nod that could strengthen President Joe Biden’s hand as global allies seek to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime.
Biden has been reluctant to curb Russian oil shipments to the U.S. or slap on energy sanctions in ways that would reduce supply as gas prices at the pump are already climbing for Americans. But Pelosi’s support gives fresh currency for an idea in Congress already backed by wide swaths of Republicans and an increasing number of Democrats. The White House has said all tools remain on the table.
“I’m all for that,” Pelosi said about ending Russian oil in the U.S. “Ban it.”
That’s easy for Pelosi to say. When gas shoots to $9 per gallon it won’t affect her, and she’s not the president, so she won’t take the blame. It’s hard for Biden to embrace a Russian oil ban because he has left the country in such a weak position with his policy of frowning on domestic oil production. Pelosi’s on the right side of the moral conflict here, but her party has given away all the leverage.
Needless to say, other Democrats are taking the stand several steps further. Sen. Joe Manchin says ban Russian oil, and start expanding our own drilling and pipeline capacity immediately:
Sen. Joe Manchin is calling on the Biden administration to ramp up energy production and end crude oil imports from Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. ?
The West Virginia Democrat, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee,? said the administration must ensure that the US becomes energy independent.
Manchin said the US has the resources and the technologies to “protect our energy independence and support our allies around the globe.”
?”?If there was ever a time to be energy independent, it is now. I am calling on the Administration and industry partners to take action immediately, up to and including banning crude oil imports from Russia?,” he said. “To continue to ask other countries to do what we can do for ourselves in a cleaner way is hypocritical.?”
This would be the logical thing to do, of course. We don’t need to get directly involved in a hot war with Russia, but we can at least stop buying oil from them, and work hard to replace them as a supplier on the global market.
Biden, again, has put himself and the country in such a dire corner that banning Russian oil would skyrocket our gas, and embracing domestic production would yield screams of climate change death from some of his party base.
Instead, the Biden administration is working on a deal with Iran to fill the void. Iran. The world’s worst state-sponsor of terrorism will be our rescuer:
Some experts believe the increase in energy prices in the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine could impact the negotiations.
About one million barrels of Iranian oil each day are taken off the global market, according to Henry Rome, who covers Middle East politics as deputy head of research at the Eurasia Group. He said if a deal is agreed, Iran would be able to increase its production over the course of a few months to bring most of those barrels back online, in addition to quickly releasing a substantial amount of oil that it currently has in storage.
“I think the overall Ukraine crisis puts a lot of pressure on Western governments to get a deal sooner than later, although it also probably is encouraging Iran to ask for more,” Rome said. “If there’s a deal, it would provide some important relief to an extremely volatile energy market.”
Somehow built into the Iran Nuclear Deal will be a way to incentivize one of our worst adversaries into increasing oil production to ease America’s pain at the pump.
For all the talk of Biden “getting tough” with Putin, it’s all been lies and hyperbole. Biden is being drawn around by Putin based solely on this issue alone. Russia called our bluff and the White House has no more cards to play so it’s gambling with Iran instead. What could go wrong?
The pain at the pump is already starting, and it’s only going to get worse:
With gas prices topping $5 in much of the Bay Area, James Hayes is feeling the pinch. He’s an ironworker who commutes hundreds of miles each week from Manteca, near Modesto, to jobs in the Bay Area.
“We just got a raise, but it doesn’t feel like it,” said Hayes, who spends about $1,000 filling up his red Chevy Silverado each month. “Gas is eating the hell out of it.”
Gasoline prices in the Bay Area reached a grim milestone Thursday: For the first time in any part of the U.S., the average price per gallon has topped $5 a gallon in much of the region.
Yes, it’s California, but the prices are rising across the country. $4 a gallon will be the nationwide average soon on our way to $5 a gallon if this continues. Some analysts predict that banning Russian oil without accounting for a replacement could push prices in some parts to $9 per gallon.
Buckle up, folks.
